Commemoration of Santa Susana Field Lab Meltdown Anniversary Brings Together Community, Public Health Advocates, Elected Officials – and Kardashians!

Jul 24, 2019

Community members and Kim and Kourtney Kardashian at Rock the Cleanup event

On July 13, PSR-LA sponsored “Rock the Cleanup,” an event to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) nuclear meltdown. The event drew over 200 people, including community members, public health advocates, elected officials, and pop culture stars Kim and Kourtney Kardashian.

The Kardashians joined in activities such as painting rocks that will become part of a memorial to workers and community members harmed by SSFL and writing postcards to their elected representatives. The sisters first became involved in cleanup efforts last fall, afterPSR-LA broke the news that the devastating Woolsey Fire began at and burned most of SSFL just a few miles from their homes. Since then, they’ve tweeted their support for the full, promised cleanup that was supposed to be complete in 2017 but has yet to begin.

Speakers at Rock the Cleanup included PSR-LA Board President Dr. Robert Dodge, Melissa Bumstead and Lauren Hammersley from Parents vs SSFL, Dawn Kowalski, Holly Huff, and Marie Mason co-founders of the Rocketdyne Cleanup Coalition, former SSFL worker Bonnie Klea, filmmaker Michael Rose (who was part of the team that discovered the meltdown and brought it to public attention), Simi Valley City Councilmember Ruth Luevanos, and Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, a longtime cleanup supporter and advocate.

A highlight of the event was a letter read by Kelsey O’Hara, Research and Program Director for Congresswoman Katie Hill, that urged the Dept. of Energy, NASA, and DTSC to uphold their agreements to fully cleanup the site. The letterwas initiated by Congresswoman Julia Brownley and co-signed by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressmembers Sherman, Hill, Cardenas, Schiff, Bass, Thompson, and Desaulnier.

The letter states:

“We are deeply concerned that this required cleanup has not been completed and that the soil remediation has not even begun. Additionally, we are deeply concerned that DOE and NASA have publicly indicated that the agencies do not intend to comply with the longstanding SSFL clean-up agreement that DOE and NASA signed with the State of California. These agreements, which were supported by the state and the local community, were entered into in good faith and it is completely unacceptable that DOE and NASA are refusing to comply with these clean-up agreements.

We urge DOE and NASA to undertake all steps necessary to fully and expeditiously carry out those Orders and take no actions contrary to them. Further, we urge DTSC to take all necessary actions to enforce these cleanup agreements.”

Kelsey O’Hara of Congresswoman Katie Hill’s office delights community members Melissa Bumstead and Lauren Hammersley by reading a letter from CA Congressmembers urging the Dept. of Energy, NASA, and DTSC to uphold their agreements to fully clean up SSFL.

Copyright 2018 | PSR-LA is a chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility, the US affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. PSR is also a Partner Organization of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.